The party

KATHERINE

It was Saturday morning, which meant there was no work for me today. I work from Monday to Friday. 

Today was bright, the rays of the sun were sipping through the curtains and I had to open the curtain so the whole place could be brightened. It was such a sunny and lovely day.

Tying my hair up in a messy bun, changing my nightgown into a white singlet with black sweatpants, I decided to clean the house. 

Hannah had left early in the morning saying she needed to be somewhere. She left after telling me that she would be back on time. 

I guess she would be back before the time for the party the company was hosting.

In Figo tradition, will I say that they're possessed with the spirit of celebration?

They always ceased every opportunity to throw parties. Moreover, all the company's staff were always invited because they believed it would boost more cooperation and hardworking spirit amongst their employees.

Honestly, I don't know if that has been working for them. Not that I cared to know. 

It's another important company milestone and they're hosting a company-wide party. Where they’ll be able to relax and have fun with their coworkers.

I have never been to one, so I can't say how fun it used to be.

I seriously don't like parties, no matter the circumstances. And since the party wasn't compulsory, I have nothing to be worried about.

Humming a song that popped into my head, I continued to tide the house.

After cleaning, I decided to prepare food as I was starving, but then, I heard my phone ringing.

Rushing over to where I had kept it on the table in the living room, I furrowed my brows, seeing that it was a video call from my kid brother.

I quickly swiped the answer button, "Hello"

"Sister, when will you go back home?" he said, pouting his mouth. His brown eyes that resembled those of my mom were sparkling with expectation. My mom always told me that my striking blue eyes reminded her of my late father. Well, I don't have any vivid memories of him. I was very young when he left.

"You know I have to work, Junior" I replied. 

Then it struck me, he doesn't call me out of the ordinary. That's how bad this boy is. He only calls me when he's in need of something. "What is it?" I decided to ask, quirking my brows at him. "Spill it."

"When are you sending my school fees? And besides, I saw this pair of snickers shoes that looked so fine. I want you to get them for me."

I sighed upon hearing this from my clueless brother, not knowing what to say to him. But I knew I had to say something so he would stop disturbing me.

"I will send your school fees by the month ending. As for shoes, I have no money for now. Make do with the ones you have. I will buy them for you as soon as I get the money."

He frowned immediately, mumbling "I have heard you."

I chuckled as I watched my brother's face darken even more. He wasn't expecting that reply from me. I have always spoiled him, buying everything he wanted for him. I would also love to get those shoes for him, but there is nothing I can do right now. The month is still far from ending.

"Where's mom?"

"Sleeping" he managed to say before the screen suddenly went blank. 

That little brat. He thinks it's easy to make money. Shaking my head, I dropped the phone on the table and returned to the kitchen to continue preparing the food.

After eating, I decided to take a nap for a while.

******

I was awoken by a persistent tap on my shoulder, which brought my sweet dream to an end in a brutal way. I hissed in annoyance as I slowly opened my eyes, yawning lazily. 

"You're back" I said to Hannah, who was grinning at me.

She nodded her head, "Yes, I have eaten too. The food you prepared was delicious. I allowed you to sleep because you looked tired and exhausted. I can't believe you cleaned everywhere, even though you cleaned it the other day."

"Habit, I guess" I replied with a shrug, while she chuckled, taking a seat at the foot of the bed.

I wore my glasses, before checking the time. It was almost 5pm. I was shocked to find out that I had slept all through the day. I was probably exhausted from the cleaning.

"Aren't you getting ready for the party?" I looked questioningly at Hannah.

" You know the party can't happen without a very important person like me." She bragged, while I shook my head in laughter. 

Crossing my arms on my chest, "You know your level of confidence is so contagious. The party is starting at 7pm, which means that you should be dressed by now if you're actually showing up there."

"Guess what?" She suddenly said, her bright green orbs sparkling excitedly.

"Hmmm...." I thought, my hand on my jaw as I tried to think of something. 

After a while, I looked back at her. "I know it," I said, while she nodded in expectation.

"You have finally found the courage to confess your love to him, and he accepted it. So are you two dating?" I decided to tease her.

"Don't start, Kat. He will be mine, but it's not time yet."

"Please can you lend me some of your confidence!" I burst into laughter.

"No way." She laughed too. "Well, I got us something you would like" She smiled, before hurling me over to the vanity and sat me on the chair.

"Just sit here, I will be right back." She said, and before I could protest, she had left the room.

A few minutes later, Hannah returned with some dresses in her hand. They were matching cyan colored long sleeve dresses, pencil cut with a tied waistband that had a golden broach on it, V-necked with deep cleavage. They looked so elegant and quite expensive too.

"Hannah, we're no longer those small girls that would always dress up like twins." I frowned, while throwing my hands up in the air, my eyes wide with surprise.

"I know, Hun. But I couldn't help but visit those old memories and, boom.... I have the dress for the party!" Her smile widened. 

"What party?" 

"Look at them, so beautiful. I can't wait to see how gorgeous this would look on your body," She said, ignoring the disgusted expression on my face.

I frowned at her, "I'm not going, Hannah. And you know why." 

"Don't tell me that, Kat." 

"Please, don't do this. You know how much I hate parties." I pleaded with Hannah, " Partying is the last thing on my mind right now and you know it."

"I had to use any means possible to get this dress for us, Kat." She pouted, "It's a special edition. Don't be a party pooper, c'mon"

I sighed, looking at Hannah who was pouting before me.  Of course,  I honestly don't know how she had managed to lay her hands on the limited edition dresses in her hands.

 I guess coming from a well connected family has its own pros, which I wouldn't want to dabble in to avoid getting entangled with the cons. 

However, that's not my worry right now.

My concern is how I'm supposed to get her to let me be. I hate parties and I didn't know which language to communicate this to her with so she could understand.

I looked pleadingly at Hannah, while she waved the dresses at me. She looked like she wasn't ready to let me go at all.

" Hannah, you know very well why I don't like parties. Why are you doing this?" I was almost shedding tears.

"Because it's time you forgot about that incident and moved on with your life. You have five minutes to get dressed and I will be back to style your hair." She threw the dress that was meant for me on the bed before leaving the room with hers.'

"And I repeat, five minutes unless you want me to force it on you." After saying this, she slammed the door behind her.

I looked back at my reflection in the mirror and sighed in frustration. 

It's obvious that I can't say no to her.

I stood up from the vanity and walked over to the bed dejectedly. Grabbing the shining gorgeous dress, I sighed in frustration.

I know nothing I said would make that troublesome friend of mine change her mind.

I dropped the dress back on the bed before heading over to the bathroom to freshen up. Even if I was forced to be there, I don't want to go there with my face looking like someone that just woke up. Moreover, my mind is still in a hazy state right now. Only cold water can get me on the right track.

A few minutes later, I was sitting on the vanity while Hannah styled my hair.  I had reluctantly worn the dress and according to her, I looked beautiful in it, and I was not sure about that.

As for her, Hannah was absolutely gorgeous in her dress. Her make-up was not too much but on point. Her long dark hair was neatly tied into a ponytail and I had the feeling that she was about to do the same with my hair. 

She combed my blonde hair very well, before tying it into a ponytail, my bang standing on its own. After that, she applied some make-up to my face. My glasses were long discarded, replaced with contact lenses.

"Done." She declared, while smiling happily like she was admiring her work.

I looked at my reflection in the mirror and became startled. I looked kind of different.

" You like what you see, right? Like how splendid and glorious you look, huh?" Hannah asked, a smug smile on her lips.

I just nodded my head. No lie, I was flabbergasted by my new look.

"Sometimes, you need to step out of the aunty style of dressing you're always spotted with." She held onto my shoulders, as she bent over to my ear and whispered.

"I'm older than you, remember." I countered with a smirk.

"The last time I checked, it was just some few minutes" she threw back, while we burst into laughter.

"Now, get your ass up. We are running late," Hannah announced. 

Wearing our coats, we grabbed our purses and headed for the door. 

I just hope that everything works out perfectly today. Parties don't often end well in my case.